Kevin Durant Reflects on Nets Tenure, Says Everything Went 'to S--t' Around Team

Kevin Durant described the Brooklyn Nets' superteam experiment with himself, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden as a failure, stating "everything around us was going to s--t" on the Mind the Game podcast. He attributed this to other NBA teams improving and complicating factors for the Nets, like integrating Ben Simmons at the start of the 2022-23 season.

Steve Nash, Durant's co-host on the podcast and former Nets coach, expressed regret that he "didn't get to coach as much as I wanted to." Durant concurred, adding that "we didn't get the full Steve Nash like I wanted."

The superteam imploded spectacularly after only one playoff run with the trio together. Key factors included Irving's refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which caused him to miss the first 35 games of the 2021-22 season and only play away games upon his return. Harden grew disaffected, reportedly clashing with Irving and being challenged by Durant about his conditioning, leading to his trade to the Philadelphia 76ers in February 2022.

Durant then requested a trade during the 2022 offseason. Although he started the following season in Brooklyn, both Durant and Irving were traded away by the 2023 deadline.

Despite the eventual collapse, Durant recalled his first season playing in Brooklyn (after missing 2019-20 injured) as "some of the most fun ball I've had playing my whole life." However, he and the Nets never recaptured the success of their 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals run.